JMO (MedDRA Japanese Maintenance Organization) is a partner of MSSO and the responsibilities of JMO are to maintain MedDRA in the Japanese synchronized with English version, to distribute within Japan and to promote the standardized utilization of MedDRA Japanese version.
Most of the JMO activities are performed with Japanese language. However, JMO has received several queries from overseas MedDRA users. These FAQs were developed based on those queries. If you have any questions or proposals for MedDRA/J or JMO activities, please do not hesitate to contact JMO. If your query seems to be suitable, JMO will update the FAQs section.

For MSSO subscribers outside Japan, please contact the MSSO. You can purchase MedDRA Japanese version from the MSSO.
In a case of a subsidiary company of a MSSO subscriber located in Japan, the subsidiary can purchase from JMO with Japanese language support, please contact with JMO.

If your company is not a current subscriber to MedDRA, and are a company headquartered in Japan, please contact the JMO. Companies headquartered outside of Japan should contact the MSSO.

The concept and the contents of MedDRA Japanese version are exactly the same as English and European-language versions. The update (version-up) timing is synchronized in both versions. However, due to language, culture, and medical practice differences between regions, there are some modifications. There are two major points.
One is MedDRA data model. MedDRA English version and European language versions are using the same data model. In the European language version, translated European terms are placed instead of English terms. In Japanese version of MedDRA English terms are the same as English version and Japanese terms are provided as additional ASCII files. So, MedDRA/J could be called as a bilingual, Japanese and English version.
The other major point is the J-currency flag. In MedDRA Japanese, each LLT has additional Japanese currency flag. This is explained on the next FAQ point.

In MedDRA/J, there is an additional currency flag (located in a specific MedDRA/J ASCII file) for LLTs to address instances when two or more English LLTs are translated to the same Japanese term. Examples of these cases are British and American variant spellings, word order differences, singular vs. plural terms in English, word origin in Greek or Latin, etc.. MedDRA/J J-currency ensures the uniqueness of Japanese MedDRA terms by flagging only one of the duplicated translations as current for use. The Japanese MedDRA user believes that it is difficult to use the terminology without its °∆uniqueness°« and that lack of uniqueness could lead to misunderstanding or confusion by the user. Just as users of English MedDRA require term °∆uniqueness°«, so too do MedDRA/J users for Japanese terms.

Japanese regulations recommend (but do not mandate) use of Japanese current MedDRA terms for Japanese domestic cases. For foreign cases, only English current terms are required.

The followings are conventions for maintaining the J-currency flag.
•All non-current terms in English MedDRA are flagged as non-current in MedDRA/J.
•LLTs that are identical to their parent PT are flagged as current in MedDRA/J. Any other LLTs which have an identical Japanese translation are flagged as non-current in MedDRA/J.
•When the same Japanese translation is given to several LLTs, and if none of those is identical to its PT, only one LLT which seems to be °∆most appropriate°« among them is flagged as current in MedDRA/J; all other LLTs are flagged as non-current. To determine the °∆most appropriate°« term, the JMO applies the following criteria:
-British spelling LLTs have priority of being flagged current in MedDRA/J.
-When several English descriptions share the same Japanese translation at the LLT level, the first term that is listed in the Japan Medical Terminology (compiled by Japanese Association of Medical Sciences Committee of Medical Terminology) is flagged as current in MedDRA/J. If none of them are listed in the Terminology, then descriptions in the main entries of Dorland°«s Illustrated Medical Dictionary and Stedman°«s Medical Dictionary receive preference for flagging as current in MedDRA/J.
-The English description which is most commonly used as medical terms in western countries is flagged as current in MedDRA/J.
-The term that is expressed in natural word order is flagged as current in MedDRA/J. For example, a term that is expressed as °∆adjective + noun°« has preference over that of °∆noun + adjective°«.
-Acronyms, abbreviations, and terms containing have a lower priority for designation of currency in MedDRA/J.
-Terms containing conjunctions have a lower priority. For example, LLT Aortic aneurysm is flagged as current in MedDRA/J while LLT Aneurysm of aorta is non-current.